Burmese Vice president Sai Mauk Kham visits to Arakan

Sittwe: The Burmese vice president Dr. Sai Mauk Kham along with many foreign diplomats has arrived in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State on Friday and travelled to Maungdaw and Minbya, a troubled towns of Arakan in June and October, from Sittwe.

Before he left for Maungdaw and Minbya, he held a brief meeting with the departmental officials in the regional capital Sittwe.

“The vice president has come to Sittwe after 9 am today and held a meeting with local departmental officers at 10 am in the city hall. It is learnt that he came here for the refugee reliefs”, said U Aung Mra Kyaw, a lawmaker of state parliament from Sittwe.

“He has left for San Balay Muslim village in Min Bya by helicopters just after having lunch here. It is heard that the refugee situation there is getting worse. So, he left there”, he added.

The vice-president’s visit came just after Ms. Baroness Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs as well as Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations, visited Arakan State on 5th of December. She is said to have informed to the Burmese government that the refugee situation in Arakan is worse.

“It is learnt that the lady has strongly criticized the Burmese government for the refugee situation in Arakan. So, many are saying here that this is the main purpose of the vice-president’s travel”, said U Aung Mra Kyaw.

Vice president Dr. Sai Mauk Kham and his team visited on Saturday a Muslim refugee camp namely Kyi Ni Byint in Pauk Taw Township by three helicopters before returning back to Nay pyi Daw from Sittwe.

Vice president Dr. Sai Mauk Kham is the only high official of the Burmese government, who has paid very frequent visits to the riot-ridden Arakan State.